Secretary of State Hillary Clinton returns to Hawaii with the message that with reductions in forces and commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. is at a "pivot point" at which it can and will refocus on Asia and the Pacific.

"In the next 10 years, we need to be smart and systematic about where we invest time and energy, so that we put ourselves in the best position to sustain our leadership, secure our interests, and advance our values," Clinton said in an opinion piece this month in Foreign Policy magazine.

"One of the most important tasks of American statecraft over the next decade will therefore be to lock in a substantially increased investment — diplomatic, economic, strategic and otherwise — in the Asia-Pacific region," she added.

Clinton is expected to speak about the "forward-deployed diplomacy" in a speech Thursday at the East-West Center.

On Friday, Clinton will be part of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

She is also scheduled to be chairwoman of a "disaster resiliency" meeting and to participate in a "women in the economy" summit.

The United States’ economic recovery will depend on exports and the ability of American firms to tap into the vast and growing consumer base of Asia, Clinton said.

Just as Asia is critical to America’s future, an engaged America is vital to Asia’s future, and the region "is eager for our leadership and our business — perhaps more so than at any time in modern history," Clinton said in the magazine.

Clinton noted that the Asia-Pacific region generates more than half of global output and nearly half of global trade, with American exports to the Pacific Rim totaling $320 billion last year.

She said the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement will eliminate tariffs on 95 percent of U.S. consumer and industrial exports within five years. The U.S. is "making progress" on the nine-country trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, she said.

As part of the effort to ensure stability in the region, the U.S. will deploy littoral combat ships to Singapore and is talking with Australia about a greater American military presence there, Clinton said.